Unlike other B-schools, SPJIMR students define their specialisations right at the start, thereby taking up internships specific to their needs.

A thoughtful mix of classroom and beyond-the-classroom learning has enabled SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) to consolidate its position again this year among the top 10 B-schools of the country.

According to Manesh Shrikant, dean, SPJIMR, reinventing itself year after year to stay ahead of the competition is the institute’s mantra for success.

“We regularly review our programmes and keep abreast of all that is happening at foreign B-schools. For instance, we have an arrangement with the Harvard Business

School under which we are given access to all the case studies used by them, their teaching material, etc.”

Students, too, swear by the teaching at the institute.

Ashish Uchil, a class of 2007 alum, is working as a business development manager at Microsoft India’s cloud division. “We were given practical exposure in management on campus, as we were given charge of various departments of the institute — academics, placements, administration and admissions. We had to manage everything ourselves, though supervisors were always there to help. This is distinct to SPJIMR,” he says.

So, what is the institute’s USP for aspiring entrants? “The placements offered here,” says Shrikant. “SPJIMR students are sure to get the most coveted placements in the country. We have the best placement record in the country, with the average salary being R14 lakh to R15 lakh each year.”

The institute is a happy hunting ground for recruiters.

Anuradha Mishra, manager HR, Tata Strategic Management Group, says, “The reason we go back to SP Jain every year is because of the kind of rigour they have in terms of concepts in strategy.”

The institute offers distinct management programmes, which differentiate it from the others. For instance, the ‘Geeta in management’ programme taught to first-year students is on the lines of the ‘Happiness course’ at Harvard Business School.

The ‘Abhudaya’ programme is another such course offered by the institute. Each student mentors one of the 180 slum children adopted by the institute on a one-on-one basis by visiting them in the slums.

“This programme is compulsory for all first-year students. It forms a part of their total credits,” says Atish Chattopadhyay, professor of marketing and chairperson of the two-year, PGDM programme.

What’s more, unlike other B-schools, SPJIMR students define their specialisations right at the start of the programme, thereby taking up internships that are specific to their specialisations.

The institute has visiting faculty from various foreign universities. “This year, some students have gone to study finance at Cornell University for their fourth semester,” says Chattopadhyay.

At the SPJIMR, selection of a candidate is based not just on the test score but also on his/her strength of character and personality.

Students are also exposed to games that make them better team players and inculcate in them core leadership skills and creativity.

One of the games is ‘How will you make an egg fly?’” In this game, each student is given two eggs and some material including straws, paper plates and cellotape. The students have to create a contraption, drop it from the first floor and ensure it doesn’t break.

Another game involves creating programmes to attract FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) companies to use their channels for advertisement.